Need Advice? Ask a Monk!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Seeking spiritual advice? \u201cBrother Sebastian\u201d is waiting to talk to you, to provide wise counsel and spiritual advice to anyone who has access to a computer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2012\/02\/need-advice-ask-a-monk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Need Advice? 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{"id":6101,"date":"2012-02-22T14:53:32","date_gmt":"2012-02-22T19:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathyschiffer.com\/?p=6101"},"modified":"2016-09-30T16:00:12","modified_gmt":"2016-09-30T21:00:12","slug":"need-advice-ask-a-monk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2012\/02\/need-advice-ask-a-monk\/","title":{"rendered":"Need Advice? Ask a Monk!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ This week, Catholic Exchange has launched a new and creative web service to solve age-old spiritual problems.\u00a0 \u201cBrother Sebastian\u201d is waiting to talk to you,<\/strong> to provide wise counsel and spiritual advice to anyone who has access to a computer.<\/p>\n

On February 20, 2012, Catholic Exchange <\/a>kicked off the \u201cAsk a Monk\u201d chat button on their webpage.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harold Fickett, editor-in-chief of Catholic Exchange<\/span>, explained that \u201cAsk a Monk\u201d is something he\u2019s been wanting to do for a long time.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s part of turning an online publication into a multi-faceted tool of evangelization.\u00a0 Beyond providing information, the internet can connect people and enable them to act in concert.\u00a0 It can be used for the Kingdom of God, not only virtually but in the real world.\u00a0 We have so many opportunities in this way\u2014\u2018Ask A Monk\u2019 is a sign of things to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk A Monk\u201d works in two ways\u2014via live chat and email.\u00a0<\/strong> When Brother Sebastian is not online, you can always send him an email.\u00a0 He will answer your emails just as soon as possible.\u00a0 You just go to the same place on the Catholic Exchange homepage, click on the \u201cAsk A Monk\u201d button, and fill out the form with your email message.<\/p>\n

Who Is Brother Sebastian?<\/strong>\u00a0 Well, Actually, Brother Sebastian isn\u2019t a real monk.\u00a0 He\u2019s a whole bunch<\/span> of monks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBrother Sebastian,\u201d Fickett explains, \u201cis the collective name we have given to a small group of cloistered Benedictines who will be staffing this service.\u00a0 They have asked that their monastery and the individuals involved remain anonymous in order to follow their Rule\u2019s counsel of humility.\u00a0 They are enthusiastic about extending spiritual counsel to the laity in this new way.\u201d<\/p>\n

A caveat<\/strong> for those who might want to turn to Brother Sebastian with serious spiritual problems.\u00a0 The website reminds you that communication with Brother Sebastian does not substitute for the Sacrament of Confession (Reconciliation).\u00a0 Be sure to see your parish priest for the sacrament.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"